Check out the Parasound Halo Integrated. I made a point to go out and listen to it and was really impressed in the brief demo I had with it. Lots of power, great internal DAC and $2500. I have not heard it with the Vandersteen speakers, but it might be worth looking at.

loudogp250 wrote:

Hey everyone,

This is my first post to this forum. I own a number of speakers, my favorite of which are a pair of Klipsch Forte. The wife and I have spent a number of nights together listening to vinyl in my current setup and she is starting to notice the sound quality differences of the various audio formats. A few months ago I took my wife to a local audio shop here in Cincinnati with the hope that I could get her to enjoy this hobby that I love dearly. While at the shop we listened to various audio equipment including a pair of Vandersteen 2. Fast forward to the present. For days my wife kept telling me that the Vandersteen's would look great in our living room. Guest what I have now.... :)

I am currently using a Integra DTR 6.8 AVR. This is what I have at the moment. I also own a old NAD 712 that I could use as a pre/pro and add a amp with a DAC so that we can use our Amazon fire's digital output. Any suggestions on a good receiver, amplifier, DAC or integrated under $2500 would be greatly appreciated ( will this get me something good?). I don't mind going the used route.

I have owned Vandersteen 2, 3, 3A, and now the Treo speakers for 30 years. I have tried a lot of amplifiers with them over the years.

I have tried a couple of Parasound amplifiers with my Vandersteens and did not like the sound quality at all. Musical Fidelity and Audio Research amps are the best with Vandersteens from my experience.

I suggest that you get a Musical Fidelity M3si amplifier, which includes a DAC and phono input and sounds excellent with Vandersteen speakers. I had one and used it with a pair of 3A speakers for several years at one of my houses. It is a real bargain at $1500 from Audio Advisor. You will be amazed at how good your speakers sound with that amp, and it has way more power than you need with Model 2 or 3 speakers.

I am currently using a Musical Fidelity M6PRX amp and an Audio Research LS26 preamp, and the sound is to die for with the Treo speakers. The Treos need WAY more power than the Model 2, so I really had to have a larger amplifier. The Treos are rather power-hungry.

commsysman][quote=loudogp250 wrote:

Hey everyone,

The Musical Fidelity M3si has a USB input, which I guess is what you need for the Amazon Fire TV stick.

If you also would need an optical input at some point, that would require an additional DAC. In that case I suggest that you get the Audioengine D1 DAC, which has an optical and USB inputs and is only $159.

I suggest that you get the Musical Fidelity M3si amplifier, which includes a DAC and phono input and sounds excellent with Vandersteen speakers. I had one and used it with a pair of 3A speakers for several years at one of my houses. It is a real bargain at $1500 from Audio Advisor. You will be amazed at how good your speakers sound with that amp, and it has way more power than you need with Model 2 or 3 speakers.

I am currently using a Musical Fidelity M6PRX amp and an Audio Research LS26 preamp, and the sound is to die for with the Treo speakers. The Treos need WAY more power than the Model 2, so I really had to have a larger amplifier. The Treos are rather power-hungry.

[quote=commsysman][quote=commsysman][quote=loudogp250]Hey everyone,

The Musical Fidelity M3si has a USB input, which I guess is what you need for the Amazon Fire TV stick.

You may need a USB connector adapter. Check out Monoprice #13005.

commsysman][quote=commsysman][quote=commsysman][quote=loudogp250 wrote:

Hey everyone,

The Musical Fidelity M3si has a USB input, which I guess is what you need for the Amazon Fire TV stick.

You may need a USB connector adapter. Check out Monoprice #364.

There are a lot of great amps that the Vandersteen's will sound great with. First off, the NAD integrated or separates are used by many of the folks who make the speakers. You'd be amazed at how great they can sound with these amps as long as you feed them great source and vinyl is awesome. I even like the all in one Rotel with it as well as the April Music all everything machine. Honestly, I like that little machine a lot.

Tubes, if you are into them, can be awesome too. You see so many of the Vandersteen dealers selling the Quicksilver, Rogue, ARC and Ayre gear. I personally have the Treo's that I'm trying to sell (moving up to the Quatro) and I ran the Ayre AX7e and now the Ayre AX-5/Twenty and love the Ayre sound as I have MS and have a harder time working with some of the tubed gear I owned. There is no need to spend crazy money to get the 2c's to cook. I even have run them with an older Onix integrated that I'm also selling, lol. That was a great integrated, but the point is that they really do sound great with a variety of amps. The David Belles amps are another that come to mind. again, so many affordable options depending on where you want to spend your dimes. Keep us posted. Great listening.